CBS Sports: Kentucky has most at stake with NBA Draft decisions

As you are well aware, Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves, and Chris Livingston have until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow night to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft if they wish to return to college for another season. Waiting on NBA Draft decisions is nothing new for Big Blue Nation, but Kentucky may have more at stake this year than ever before.

Counting Brennan Canada, there are eight players currently on scholarship for next season, five of them freshmen. Getting even just one of Oscar, Reeves, or Livingston back would be a significant boost in terms of production and experience. CBS Sports’ David Cobb ranked the teams with the most on the line ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. It won’t surprise you that Kentucky is No. 1.

1. Kentucky

The biggest question here is whether or not star center Oscar Tshiebwe will return. But the decisions of Antonio Reeves and Chris Livingston loom large as well. Both players would bring experience and proven skills — Reeves as a scorer and Livingston as a defender — to a team that could otherwise be unsettlingly reliant on freshmen.

A decade ago, the No. 1 ranked recruiting class with five top-40 players and four five-star prospects would have been enough to make Kentucky the SEC’s preseason favorite. Nowadays it’s been proven you need some productive veterans to win. If deadline day goes poorly for UK, look for coach John Calipari to take a swing at the handful of quality transfers remaining in the portal.

Purdue is No. 2 because of 7-4 center Zach Edey, the reigning national player of the year. Alabama is third as Nate Oats awaits decisions from Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears. Cobb has Auburn fourth, but that’s outdated following yesterday’s news that Johni Broome will return for another season. Other familiar names in the top ten include Gonzaga at No. 6 (Julian Strawther, Malachi Smith, Anton Watson), UCLA at No. 7 (Jaime Jaquez Jr., Amari Bailey, Jaylen Clark and Tyger Campbell), and Missouri at No. 9 (Kobe Brown). Brown has already graduated, so theoretically, he could decide to withdraw from the draft and transfer elsewhere, in which case, Kentucky would surely throw its hat in the ring.

35 hours and counting.

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Kentucky’s NBA Draft workouts

Oscar Tshiebwe is working out for the Atlanta Hawks today, who have the Nos. 15 and 46 picks in the draft. Antonio Reeves is working out for the Dallas Mavericks, who have the No. 10 pick. Here’s the updated list of each team Oscar, Livingston, and Reeves have worked out for thus far.

Oscar Tshiebwe
Boston Celtics (No. 35)
Houston Rockets (No. 4, No. 20)
Milwaukee Bucks (No. 58)
Sacramento Kings (No. 24, No. 38, No. 54)
Atlanta Hawks (No. 15, No. 46)

Chris Livingston
Boston Celtics (No. 35)
Los Angeles Lakers (No. 17, No. 47)

Antonio Reeves
Atlanta Hawks (No. 15, No. 46)
Utah Jazz (No. 9, No. 16, No. 28)
Dallas Mavericks (No. 10)